Ajarb Bernard Ategwa (b. 1988) is a self-taught Cameroonian visual artist who has risen to international prominence from his home base in Douala, Cameroon. His artistic journey began in 1998 with illustrations on plywood, but his perspective was transformed in 2001 after witnessing the work of artists like Hako Hankson, which inspired him to explore new dimensions of painting.
Ategwa's work is an intimate reflection of the bustling street life of Douala. He captures the "plural, hard-working, noisy and eclectic" energy of the city, yet his focus is on the moments of quiet respite found within the urban chaos. In a style influenced by Pop Art and the colour profusion of Jackson Pollock, he depicts characters in moments of pause—a "ceasefire" that creates a pocket of poetry amidst the disorder.
Ajarb Bernard Ategwa (b. 1988) is a self-taught Cameroonian visual artist who has risen to international prominence from his home base in Douala, Cameroon. His artistic journey began in 1998 with illustrations on plywood, but his perspective was transformed in 2001 after witnessing the work of artists like Hako Hankson, which inspired him to explore new dimensions of painting.
Ategwa's work is an intimate reflection of the bustling street life of Douala. He captures the "plural, hard-working, noisy and eclectic" energy of the city, yet his focus is on the moments of quiet respite found within the urban chaos. In a style influenced by Pop Art and the colour profusion of Jackson Pollock, he depicts characters in moments of pause—a "ceasefire" that creates a pocket of poetry amidst the disorder.
